The Water Element
The Water element is one the of five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Five Elements Theory is a Chinese philosophy used to describe interactions and relationships between things. The five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — are believed to be the fundamental elements of everything in the universe between which interactions occur. Water is the fourth one in my ongoing series of articles about these amazing elements.
This healing element is symbolized within the body by the partnership of the kidneys (yin organ) and the urinary bladder (yang organ) and represent your Will Power and Essence of your being. It is assisted through the spirit of the Kidney called the Zhi (pronounced Jur). The Zhi also helps to promote our innate wisdom and support us in our daily living and growth potential.
When the kidneys (and water element) are out of balance and deficient, it shows up in your life as fear, insecurity and lack of self-understanding. You are easily knocked off the flow of your river of life and aren’t able to get back on course. In fact, you can be frozen in your tracks at times. Signs that your water system is out of balance are strong feelings of impulsiveness, a sense of running in circles and feelings of paranoia.
A full and balanced water element brings cleansing energy to purify your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels of your body with an invitation for transformation to occur in your life. You are able to be in the flow and move into the changes you desire and strive for. Signs that your water element is flowing beautifully are, you have a sense of calm about you, you are determined and creative in your endeavours and you have a gentle, soft approach to life with all its limitless possibilities.
As a way to support your healing within your water element, consider meditation. This timeless modality is a great way to remove the blockages to your energy flow. There are many ways to do this so don’t feel bound by the idea that there is only one way to meditate. Try the basic form of sitting comfortably and simply watching your breath. Let is flow in and flow out at its own pace. Nothing else to do, but that. If you find that too difficult because of a busy mind and body, try a more active form of meditation called movement meditation. Put on a piece of music that has no words (or is in a foreign language you don’t understand) and let yourself simply flow to the music. Let your body flow with the rhythms and harmonies created by the music as it stimulates your body. Notice the sensations, feelings and visual imagery that arise as a result. If you are called, afterwards you can make a drawing of the experience or write down any thoughts. The important thing is to let the body lead and the mind follow.
Another support technique for your water element is to work with tapping, rubbing and stimulating the flow of Qi within your kidneys. Start by placing your hands on your kidneys (lower back area) and rub towards spine and away from it. Allow yourself to create a little friction and warmth within this area. You can also make a soft fist and tap up and down the lower spine to stimulate the kidneys. Be sure to include your sacrum (lower part of the spine) by rubbing with your fingertips in an up and down motion. Do these actions for as long as you would like in order to create more flow in these areas thereby giving your batteries a recharge.
Remember that just like a river flowing in the wilderness, if it is blocked by a dam, the flow will become altered and backed up. Awareness is the key to keeping your “inner river” flowing perfectily. Use the above techniques to maintain a clean and viable flow of water Qi throughout your body.
Blessings, John
